She formerly served as VP sales operations.
Tanya Springer, who was VP sales, transitioned to advisor on special projects for the brand.
Kusuma will now spearhead the sales team in the field and Fort Lauderdale headquarters, with a mission to support travel advisors and increase awareness and visibility as Atlas grows to three ships this year as World Voyager joins in November.
The newly expanded Key Account Partner Program will lead the team’s strategic initiatives for key partners and Atlas will prioritize outreach programs to establish deeper connections with travel partners.
Key hires/promotions
Nikki Shanley, senior director of sales, Northwest US & key accounts, is based in northern California and focuses on key accounts in the western US territory. She covers California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and western Canada.
Oya Bekisoglu became senior director, South Central US & key accounts, based in Texas. Her territory includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Bekisoglu also will support several key accounts in the Central and Eastern regions. She returns to Atlas after a short stint at Sabre.
Andres 'Andy' Fuentes, the new regional sales director, Southeastern US, will focus on Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. He joins from Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours and brings 18 years of industry experience in business development with Crystal, Oceania Cruises and Royal Caribbean, among others.
Canada and UK sales outreach planned
James Rodriguez, president/CEO of Atlas, talked about bolstering regional and area sales support during a recent interview with Seatrade Cruise News on his first-year anniversary with the brand.
Today, Atlas indicated growth plans also entail the expansion of sales outreach globally, including Canada and the UK.
Atlas Ocean Expeditions' Epicurean Expeditions were selected as Expedition Cruise Initiative of the Year in the 2023 Seatrade Cruise Awards, presented last week at Seatrade Europe in Hamburg
